Capsule to extract essence of hydroscopic substances contained within

Abstract

A capsule is disclosed that comprises a sealed body that encloses one or more cavities containing one or more substances including at least one hygroscopic substance and one or more objects within. Pressurized liquid is introduced into a cavity using a suitable device from one or more areas of the capsule body, to interact with the substance(s) within. The object(s) are configured to alter the characteristics of the flow of the liquid, particularly in contact with the hygroscopic substance(s). The liquid exits from one or more areas of the capsule body, having optimally extracted the essence of the substance(s) due to the altered flow rate, liquid exposure, flow distribution, and flow patterns.

1 . An enclosed capsule, comprising:
 a) a capsule body, constructed of non-porous material(s), wherein one or more surface areas of the capsule body are configured to allow piercing to enable entry of a liquid, and one or more surface areas of the capsule body are configured to allow for piercing to enable exit of a liquid; and   b) one or more substances comprising at least one hygroscopic substance, disposed within the capsule body prior to the capsule being sealed; and   c) one or more objects disposed within the capsule body prior to the capsule being sealed, wherein the object(s) are configured to modify the flow characteristics of a pressurized liquid through the capsule body.   
     
     
         2 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object comprises one or more perforations. 
     
     
         3 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object comprises one or more internal open channels. 
     
     
         4 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object is a solid structure with no holes. 
     
     
         5 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object is disposed a) between substance(s) and one or more cavity boundaries, or b) between layers of substance(s), or c) in a mix with the substance(s). 
     
     
         6 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object comprises at least one textured surface, smooth surface, recession on a surface, channel on a surface, or ridge on a surface. 
     
     
         7 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object is attached to one or more cavity surfaces. 
     
     
         8 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object is detached from cavity surfaces. 
     
     
         9 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object fits snugly inside a cavity such that it may not relocate. 
     
     
         10 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object may relocate within a cavity. 
     
     
         11 . The capsule of  claim 1 , wherein at least one object comprises at least one curved surface, or at least one object comprises at least one planar surface, or at least one object resembles a surface due to its dimensions, or at least one object is spherical in geometry, or at least one object is polytopal in geometry, or at least one object comprises at least one convex surface, or at least one object comprises at least one concave surface. 
     
     
         12 . A beverage capsule, comprising:
 a) a capsule body that includes a base, an injection wall and a plurality of sidewalls extending between the base and injection wall to form a hermetically sealed compartment,
 wherein the base comprises one or more openings and a lid detachably affixed to the base to close the openings, 
 wherein the compartment comprises at least a layer of hygroscopic substance, 
 wherein the injection wall is configured to be pierced to allow flow of liquid from a beverage preparation device to flow through the hygroscopic substance, and 
 wherein the base is configured to dispense the liquid flowing through the hygroscopic substance, and 
   b) one or more objects disposed within the compartment,
 wherein the object is configured to modify the flow rate and flow distribution of the liquid so as to offer resistance to the flow of the liquid and distributes the liquid evenly across the hygroscopic substance to enable optimal extraction of essence from the hygroscopic substance as the liquid exits through the base. 
   
     
     
         13 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the objects comprise one or more perforations. 
     
     
         14 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the objects are disposed at least one of above and below the hygroscopic substance. 
     
     
         15 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the objects are disposed between two or more layers of the hygroscopic substance. 
     
     
         16 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the objects are mixed with the hygroscopic substance. 
     
     
         17 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the objects comprise at least one of a textured surface and a smooth surface. 
     
     
         18 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the object comprises one or more ridges defined at the exterior surface of the object. 
     
     
         19 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of objects comprises different characteristics including shape, dimension, arrangement of perforations, arrangement of ridges and arrangement of perforations. 
     
     
         20 . The beverage capsule of  claim 12 , wherein the objects are one or more membranes disposed within the compartment and transverse to the flow of liquid. 
     
     
         21 . The beverage capsule of  claim 20 , wherein the compartment has a c-shaped cross-section and the membrane has a c-shaped profile complementary to the cross-section of the compartment to enable the membrane to snugly fit within the compartment. 
     
     
         22 . The beverage capsule of  claim 20 , wherein the membrane comprises one or more perforations and further comprises at least one of a textured surface and a smooth surface. 
     
     
         23 . The beverage capsule of  claim 20 , wherein the membrane comprises one or more legs extending from the surface of the membrane towards the substance in the compartment. 
     
     
         24 . The beverage capsule of  claim 20 , wherein the membranes are disposed between two or more layers of the substance. 
     
     
         25 . A method of extracting the essence from a hygroscopic substance, comprising:
 a) placing a capsule into a beverage dispensing device,
 wherein the capsule comprises a penetrating surface, an exit surface and a plurality of sidewalls that extend between the penetrating surface and the exit surface to form a sealed compartment, 
 wherein the exit surface comprises one or more openings and a lid detachably affixed to the exit surface to close the openings, 
 wherein the compartment comprises at least a layer of hygroscopic substance, 
 wherein the entry surface is configured to be pierced to allow flow of liquid from a beverage dispensing device to flow through the hygroscopic substance, 
 wherein the exit surface is configured to dispense the liquid flowing through the hygroscopic substance, 
 wherein one or more objects are disposed within the compartment, and the object is configured to modify the flow rate and flow distribution of the liquid so as to offer resistance to the flow of the liquid and distribute the liquid evenly across the hygroscopic substance; 
   b) introducing liquid into the capsule; and   c) extracting the essence from the hygroscopic substance as the liquid exits through the exit surface.